Neck-yoke.



No. 684,925. Pafented Oct. 22,. |90|. M. B. EATON. NECK YOKE. (Application filed m). 9, 1901;)

(No Model.)

- I n-ventor Attoi'ney.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

MARSHALL B. EATON, OF HOLOOMB, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HARLOW MUN SON, OF EAST BLOOMFIELD, NEW YORK.

NECK-YOKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 684,925, dated October 22, 1901.

Applieation filed February 9 {1901. Serial No. 46,639. (No model.)

T0 aZZ whom it mayconcern:

Be it known that I, MARSHALL B. EATON, of Holcomb, in the county of Ontario and State of New York, have invented certain new'and useful Improvements in Neck-Yokes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying draw.- ings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon.

My present invention has for its object to provide a simple and efiicient means of connection adapted to be employed between the usual neck-yoke of a double harness and the tongue or pole of a wagon or other vehicle, whereby the yoke cannot be accidentally removed from the tongue when the latter is supported upon it, thereby preventing a separation of the parts during the act of harnessing or unharnessing; but the parts may be easily disengaged or connected at will.

To these and other ends my invention consists of certainimprovements in combination and construction of parts, all as will be hereinafterfully described, and the novel features pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

, In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the end of a vehicletongue with a neck-yoke and its attaching device constructed in accordance with my invention in the normal position. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the operation of the device locking the yoke against accidental removal. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the yoke-ring, and Fig. 4 is a perspective View of a modification.

Similar reference-numerals in the several figures indicate similar parts.

In the present case I have shown my device as applied to a wagon pole or tongue 1, provided on its lower side with the usual holdback-stop 2, which may be formed thereon in any convenient manner, and in the drawings I have shown a simple method by which the stop is formed by bending a strip 3 of bandiron into the desired form, extending over the end of the pole and along the upper and lower sides thereof, which prevents the pole from becoming chafed or worn. The neck yoke (indicated by 5 and shown in section) is providedwith apole-support, which in the present instance is the yoke-ring 6, suspended in the usual manner upon the links 7, and the latter are separated at their upper ends and secured loosely in eyebolts S, which pass through the yoke at opposite sides of its middle point and also through clamping-plates 9, arranged upon the upper and lower sides thereof. Formed integrally with the ring 6 is the locking device or member, consisting of a rearwardly-projecting loop 12, greater in diameter than the ring 6 and having its lower end separated therefrom rearwardly, as shown. The weight of the rearwardly-projeoting loop will cause the yoke-ring to hang at a slight angle in its suspending-links '7, as shown in Fig. 1, assuming about the inclined position imparted to it when a strain is put upon the neck-yoke, as indicated in dotted lines in the same figure, when the ring is held in engagement against the projection or stop 2. When the parts are in the operative position, the tongue or pole is supported in the ring and the locking member lies in rear of the stop 2, and being normally supported in the rear thereof is in position to engage upon that side of the stop if the yoke is moved'forward to change the position of the ring 6, as

The pole or;

shown particularly in Fig. 2. tongue is normally supported by theyoke,

and the weight of the pole in the ring in such cases creates suflicient friction to reversethe position of the ring when the yoke is moved outwardly; but it will be readily understood that various means may be providedto retard the forward movement of the lower side of the ring in case the pole is supported independently of the neck-yoke;

In Fig. 4 I have shown the application of a locking device or member such as above described to the leather loop or yoke-strap 20, usually employed upon carriages and other light vehicles, having the aperture 21'adapted to receive the end of the pole. In this instance I construct locking-loop 22 as a'separate piece, having the broadened ends or feet 23bearing aga nstthe' rear side of the yokestrap and secured rigidly thereto by screws or rivets 24. While the loop or similar lockin g device might be attached to the lower end of the yoke-support, I prefer to attach it to the top of the ring or above the pole-aperture 21 in the yoke-strap, as shown in the drawings, as this will insure the pull, when exerted upon the loop, being in a more direct line from the yoke, thereby providing a locking device that is strong and light in construction.

To attach a neck-yoke provided with the locking device I have described, it is simply necessary to slip the ring 6 over the end of the pole or tongue, the loop 12 hanging down sufficiently to pass beneath the end of the holdback-stop 2, allowing the ring to engage the latter. During the operation of n'nhitching a team of horses the end of the pole or.

tongue is supported by the neck-yoke, and

the friction between the pole and ring will be sufiicient to tilt the latter upon any forward movement of the yoke, causing, the lockingloop 12 to be thrown upward in rear of the stop 2 and securely lock the yoke in position. lVhen, however, the operator desires to disconnect the parts, he raises the pole either from the front or rear, thereby relieving the friction of the tongue in the ring and permitting the latter to assume its normal position,

' when the locking-loop will again fall below the stop 2 and the yoke permitted to be @311". ried off the pole.

Devices constructed in accordance with my invention are simple and may be readily attached to any neck-yoke and are capable of operation in combination with any of the usual forms of pole-stops.

The pole supports or rings having the looking members secured thereon may be manufactured separately and supplied for the purpose of attachment to neck-yokes heretofore in use.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination with a vehicle-pole having a stop or projection thereon, of a neckyoke and a pole-hanger attached to the yoke encircling the pole and capable of tilting relative to the pole in a plane parallel with that of the latter and a locking member on the hanger arranged to engage the stop on the pole and prevent the removal of the hanger when the latter is tilted forwardly but permitting its free removal when tilted rear wardly.

2. The combination with a vehicle-pole having a stop or projection thereon, of a neckyoke and a pole-hanger pivoted to the yoke, encircling the pole and capable of tilting upon the pole in the direction of the length of the latter and a locking member on the hanger arranged to engage the stop on the pole to prevent the removal of the hanger when the latter is tilted toward the outer free end of the pole, but permitting its free removal when freely suspended from the yoke.

3. The combination with a vehicle-pole having a' stop or projection thereon, of a neckyoke and a pole-hanger attached to the yoke, encircling the pole and capable of tilting on the pole in the direction of the length of the latter, and a locking member connected to the hanger normally out of line with the stop when the hanger is tilted to the rear and adapted to be engaged therewith when said hanger is engaged with the pole and is tilted forwardly toward the outer free end thereof.

4. The combination with a vehicle-pole having a stop or projection thereon, of a polehanger encircling the pole and capable of tilting longitudinally thereof when supporting the latter and a locking-loop connected to the rear of the hanger and adapted to engage the stop on the pole when the hanger is tilted toward the outer free end of the pole.

5. The combination with a vehicle-pole having a projection thereon, of a neck-yoke, a pole-hanger ring pivotally connected thereto, and a locking member on the hanger-ring adapted to engage the projection on the pole when the ring is tilted in one direction, said hanger and locking member being overweighted to hold the locking member out of engagement with the pole projection when freelysuspended from the yoke.

6. The combination with a vehicle-pole hav ing the stop on its lower side, of a neck-yoke, a hanger havingan aperture to receive the pole and capable of tilting thereon and a looking member extending from the rear of the hanger below the lower end of the stop when the pole is lifted from the hanger but adapted to be moved in rear of the stop by the forward movement of the pole on the hanger.

7. The combination with a vehicle pole or tongue having the stop, a neck-yoke and the ring or hanger 6 thereon adapted to support the pole and engage the stop, of the rearwardly-extending locking-loop 12 having its greatest diameter extending from its lower end to the top of the ring, and greater than the combined diameters of the pole and the stop, whereby the said loop may be readily passed over the stop without turning the hanger around the pole.

8. As an article of manufacture, a pole or tongue support for neck-yokes embodying two rings of different diameters secured at their upper edges at one end of their longest diameter and separated at their lower edges.

9. The combination with a vehicle-pole, of a neck-yoke, a pole hanger or ring suspended from the yoke and loosely engaging the pole to permit tilting longitudinally upon the latter, and automatic locking devices between the hanger and pole for preventing the outward movement of the hanger on the pole when the latter is supported therein but permitting their free relative movement when the pole is lifted from the hanger.

10. The combination with the pole having the stop or projection on its under side, of the tilted in the opposite direction so as to clear the same and permit the free removal of the hanger.

MARSHALL B. EATON.-

Witnesses:

J. A. LEETE, WM. BRIDGLAND. 

